Riyadh Air Will Offer Free Viasat Wi-Fi On Boeing 787 Fleet

Saudi Arabian airline startup Riyadh Air is expected to launch operations later this year, initially with a fleet of Boeing 787-9s, and then with a fleet of Airbus A321neos. The airline has today announced its inflight connectivity plans, and it’s good news.

Riyadh Air will partner with Viasat to offer free Wi-Fi

Riyadh Air plans to partner with Viasat on its inflight connectivity, offering Ka-band satellite technology and multi-orbit solution capabilities. The system will come factory installed on newly delivered Boeing 787s, though no announcement has been made about the A321neos yet. The airline plans to offer free Wi-Fi for members of its loyalty program (the details of which haven’t yet been revealed).

The airline is promising that passengers will be able to enjoy gate-to-gate connectivity, fast enough for streaming, gaming, etc. Those who aren’t members of the loyalty program will be able to sign-up onboard, and get online instantly. Viasat’s network will also enable live TV on the aircraft’s seat back screens.

Here’s how Anton Vidgen, Riyadh Air’s VP of Guest Experience, describes this:

“At Riyadh Air, we are committed to redefining the guest experience through innovation and technology. Partnering with Viasat, we were empowered to realize our discerning vision for guests’ connectivity. In turn, our guests will enjoy free, personalized, and seamless Wi-Fi that will fully integrate with the full Riyadh Air experience. This partnership is a key enabler of our digitally native onboard strategy: setting a new standard for premium travel.”

We know that technology is an important point for Riyadh Air, as the airline is marketing itself as the world’s first “digitally native” airline. It remains to be seen exactly what that entails, but good connectivity is certainly important.

Here in the United States, Viasat is the same Wi-Fi provider that you’ll find on all JetBlue aircraft, and also on most aircraft of American and Delta.

Why didn’t Riyadh Air partner with Starlink instead?

Inflight connectivity has come a long way over the years, and in particular, in recent years. We’ve seen several airlines announce plans to introduce free Wi-Fi, and that has largely been in partnership with Starlink. So, why has Riyadh Air gone with Viasat rather than Starlink? The airline hasn’t officially stated, though I suspect it comes down to two factors.

First of all, the 787’s composite fuselage makes the Starlink installation complicated. I don’t think it’s a deal breaker, but we’re seemingly not at the point yet where 787s can get Starlink. Second of all, keep in mind that Starlink isn’t available over some major geographies where Riyadh Air will likely operate, like China and Russia.

So while Starlink has some advantages over Viasat, for a 787 operator based in the Middle East, I can see why the airline went the direction it did.

Bottom line

Riyadh Air plans to offer free Wi-Fi to its loyalty program members throughout the 787 fleet, in partnership with Viasat. I was expecting that Riyadh Air would offer fast and free Wi-Fi, given the extent to which it’s marketing great tech as a point of differentiation, so I don’t think this will come as a big surprise to anyone.

What do you make of Riyadh Air partnering with Viasat?